For weeks now, we have been told that the European Court of Human Rights, will force the Government to give prisoners the vote - as this is seen by ECHR judges as 'a basic human right'.

The good news is that Parliament, will not take this lying down - and today fought back. An amazing afternoon in the Commons, as MPs voted by 234 to 22 against giving prisoners the vote.

I made four interventions:

1.  Why were judges from the Court of Human Rights, many who came from countries with authoritarian regimes, ordering our democracy to give prisoners the votes?

2.  Was it not time for Britain to withdraw from the jurisdiction of the Court of Human Rights?

3.  How was it that Sweden was able to withdraw from the Court of Human Rights in 2002, as the country had a problem with a particular aspect of the convention, and then re-enter, having renegotiated its terms?

4.  Given that the European Convention of Human Rights was established after the Second World War - to ensure that the Nazi tragedy nevr happened again, was it really the case that the founders of the declaration, really wanted Albert Speer and Rudolph Hess (two leading Nazis who served long jail sentences post war) to have the vote?

It was good that the Commons showed their displeasure against giving Prisoners voting rights.  A shame so few Labour MPs were in the Chamber - or bothered to vote on this fundamental issue.

You can read more HERE and HERE.

by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com